WO1998014144A1

WO1998014144A1 - Knee hinge

Info

Publication number: WO1998014144A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/005072
Authority: WO
Inventors: Holger Reinhardt; Rainer Scheuermann; Hans Bruno Bauerfeind
Original assignee: Bauerfeind Orthopädie GmbH & Co. KG
Priority date: 1996-09-16
Filing date: 1997-09-16
Publication date: 1998-04-09
Also published as: DE19637728A1; EP0879032A1; EP0879032B1; JP3916673B2; ES2185917T3; DE59709149D1; US6059743A; JP2000500692A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a knee hinge provided with fastening devices for the upper and the lower parts of the leg, said devices being connected by at least one two-piece rail which comprises an articulation swivelling about an axle which is set back from the knee joint and adaptive to the movement thereof. The axle rests on an excentrically pivoting bearing, whereby both rail parts rotate together and which, due to its torsional movement, continuously causes the axle to change position so that it is always adapted to the knee joint movement.

Description

Knee brace

The invention relates to a knee joint orthosis with fastening means for the thigh and the lower leg, which are connected to one another via at least a two-part rail, which contains an axis-rotating swivel set back relative to the knee joint in adaptation to its movement sequence.

Such a knee joint orthosis is shown and described in European patent application 705 582. The known knee joint orthosis has two-part rails on both sides of the knee to be propped, each of which ends with shell-like fastening means with which the orthosis is attached to the thigh and lower leg. The two parts of each rail are connected via a joint, whereby one joint (the inner rail) consists of an axis and the other joint (the outer rail) consists of two hinged tabs that cross each other and each with one end are articulated on one fastening means and their other end on the other fastening means.

The principle of the rotationally movable connection of two-part rails of an articulated orthosis is based on the known finding that a roll-slide movement takes place in the knee joint. This movement is explained in a publication by A.Bahler "The biomechanical principles of orthotic care of the knee" Orthopaedie-Technik 2/89, pages 52-59. Figure 6 on page 54 of this publication shows a "grain promißachse "according to Nietert, which is found on the basis of the investigations explained in the publication. In the introduction to the publication on page 52, left column, paragraph 1, the following is stated:" The results show that uniaxial rails with approx. 16 mm Axis shift for medium-sized patients, double joint rails with teeth, four-axis joints and physiological joints with a moving axis still best meet the requirements. "

A large number of knee joint orthoses have been proposed in orthopedic technology, which more or less take into account the findings explained above. Apart from complicated knee joint orthoses with a plurality of tab or lever connections, which are associated with a considerable technical outlay, orthoses are used on a large scale in which their two splint parts are connected by only one axis. The position of this axis in relation to the knee joint is crucial for the optimal design of such an orthosis. EP-PS 393 081 describes a knee joint orthosis in which a uniaxial swivel joint is provided on both sides of the knee, the relative position of which to two fastening means on the upper and lower leg is brought about by a displacement of arms attached to the joints, which have several holes are provided for optional connection with counterparts attached to the fastening means. By using the holes, the joints can be moved more or less towards the fasteners. This is obviously a relatively complex mechanism, which also only allows a gradual adjustment of the position of the rotary joints to the fasteners.

The invention has for its object to provide a knee brace according to the features stated above, which is constructive simple structure allows a practically automatic adjustment of the position of its axis to the knee movement of the respective patient individually. According to the invention, this is done in that the axis is mounted eccentrically in a rotary bearing which rotatably connects the two rail parts and, by means of its rotation, continuously displaces the position of the axis, this displacement being brought about into its respectively adapted position by the knee joint movement.

Depending on the intensity of treatment of the patient's knee that is recognized as necessary, the knee joint orthosis according to the invention can be provided with only a two-part splint, which can then be arranged either on the inside or outside of the knee, or the knee joint orthosis with two two-part splint on both Provide sides of the knee, which of course results in a particularly stable guidance of the knee to be treated.

Due to the eccentric mounting of the axis in the pivot bearing, which rotatably connects the two rail parts to one another, there may be a compressive or tensile force on the axis during the knee movement, these forces being transferred to the pivot bearing and rotating it relative to the two rail parts that finally the axis assumes a position in which the axis is largely adapted to the movement sequence of the knee joint, ie in which the position of the axis largely corresponds to the "compromise axis" mentioned above. It is particularly advantageous that the displacement of the axis takes place along a circular arc in adaptation to the knee joint movement due to the eccentric mounting of the axis, so that this movement contains both a component transversely and longitudinally to the leg. This results in a particularly good possibility of adapting the axial position to the respective knee joint movement in the In terms of shifting the axis as close as possible to the "compromise axis".

This adjustment of the position of the axis is carried out by the knee joint movement of the respective patient, who thus automatically adapts to the anatomical conditions given by him, possibly with a different displacement of the axis on the right and left side of the knee joint orthosis, without any intervention in the sense of any manipulation.

Depending on the therapy deemed necessary by the attending physician, it may be a matter of permitting the position of the axis to shift with the rotation of the pivot bearing during the movement of the knee joint, or of locking the axis in its adapted position in the event of an intentional fixation of the axis , so that, starting from this locked position, the axis guides the knee joint accordingly, thus protecting the knee joint against incorrect movements.

In order to deal with the latter case, the pivot bearing is expediently provided with locking means against the rail. When the axis has found its adjusted position due to the movement of the knee, the pivot bearing is locked so that the axis position is fixed. This can, of course, be removed again with releasable locking means, which makes it possible to bring about a renewed adjustment of the position of the axis, which may be necessary in the course of a longer therapy, to circumstances that may change in the patient, e.g. by strengthening his muscles due to training.

To securely hold the two-part splint in the knee joint orthosis, the splint is expediently placed in one pocket with its two parts inserted on the fastener for the thigh and for the lower leg. So that the rail can be removed again after it has been inserted into the pockets, the pockets are expediently designed such that one pocket is continuously closed laterally and opened towards the swivel joint, while the other pocket has an opening in its longitudinal direction for insertion and removal has the rail, which is covered with a cover flap which can be closed by means of a Velcro fastener.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the figures. Show it:

Figure 1 seen the knee brace from the side.

Fig. 2, the pivot bearing of a two-part rail of the swivel orthosis according to Figure 1 in an enlarged

Presentation; Fig. 3 is a two-part rail with the pivot bearing in

Section and FIG. 4 the knee joint orthosis according to FIG. 1 with an openable pocket for inserting and removing the splint.

1 shows the knee brace 1, which is formed by a tube and contains the two inelastic tube parts 2 and 3 and the elastic tube parts 4 and 5. The inelastic hose parts 2 and 3 are arranged to a certain extent diagonally, which also applies to the elastic hose parts 4 and 5. In the area of the collision of the inelastic tube parts 2/3 with the elastic tube parts 4/5, the two-part rails 6 and 7 are shown, which are arranged on both sides of the knee joint orthosis 1. The two parts of each of the two Rails 6 and 7 are inserted into pockets 8, 9 and 10 and closely enclosed by them, so that when the knee and thus the hose parts 2/3 and 4/5 are moved, the two parts of each of the rails 6 and 7 are mutually opposed about the axis 18 twist. With regard to the arrangement of the axis 18, reference is made to the explanations relating to FIG. 2. The elastic tube parts 4 and 5 of the knee joint orthosis 1 are bridged by the inelastic bands 12, 13, 14 and 15, which are fastened to the inelastic tube parts 2 and 3 and the elastic tube parts 4 and 5 after application to a knee, the elasticity in the circumferential direction take, which gives the knee brace 1 a secure fit on the knee.

FIG. 2 shows a two-part rail corresponding to the rail 6 from FIG. 1 with its upper part 16 and its lower part 17. The rail 16/17 contains the pivot bearing 11, via which the upper part 16 is connected to the lower part 17. The pivot bearing 11 is a disk-like structure which, as shown in FIG. 3 explained below, is rotatably inserted in the upper part 16. The pivot bearing 11 contains the eccentric axis 18, which also penetrates into the lower part 17 and thus forms the axis of rotation about which the upper part and lower part can be rotated relative to one another. Due to the rotatability of the pivot bearing 11, there is the possibility of moving the axis 18 with respect to the upper part 16 on a circular path which results from the eccentricity of the axis 18 with respect to the center of the pivot bearing 11. This center is indicated by the dash-dotted line 19 in Figure 3. In Figure 2, the center of the pivot bearing 11 is shown by the cross 19 drawn in its center.

Due to a rotation of the rotary bearing 11, the positions indicated by the letters A, B, C, D in FIG. 2 (and continuously all intermediate positions) can result for the axis 18, whereby the axis 18 assumes a corresponding position. This results in a relative position of Upper part 16 and lower part 17, which is indicated in FIG. 2 by lines which correspond to the borders of the axis positions A, B, C and D. Because of these different lines, it can be seen that the associated knee joint orthosis 1 is displaced relative to the pivot bearing 11 in relation to the respective line arrangement, which means in relation to the knee enclosed by the knee joint orthosis 1 that the axis 18 relative to the included knee is shifted accordingly. The axis 18 can thus be moved with the pivot bearing 11 relative to the knee joint in question over the area of the circular path containing the axis positions A, B, C, D, which creates a largely adaptable approach to the "compromise axis".

From FIG. 3, which shows the rail 16/17 according to FIG. 2 in section, it can be seen that the pivot bearing 11 is held on the upper part 16 by means of a screw, the latter simultaneously forming the axis 18 for the mutual rotatability of the upper part 16 and 17. The screw forming the axis 18 is screwed centrally into the nut piece 20, which is inserted into a corresponding bore 21 of the lower part 17 and is held on the lower part 17 by means of the flange 23.

Due to the design of the pivot bearing 11 with the axis 18 and the nut 20 described above, there is an eccentric mounting of the axis 18 with respect to the center 19 of the pivot bearing 11, which is explained above with reference to the axial positions A, B, C and D. This arrangement allows the pivot bearing 11 to be easily rotated in the upper part 16, so that when the knee joint orthosis 1 is applied to a knee and the knee is moved, the pivot bearing 11 moves into a position in which the axis 18 largely approximates the "compromise axis" is. In order to fix the pivot bearing 11 relative to the upper part 16 in the most favorable position of the axis 18 achieved in this way, the grub screw 22 is provided, when tightened it presses against the upper part 16 and thus fixes the pivot bearing 11 relative to the upper part 16. Thus, the axis 18 is fixed relative to the upper part 16, which results in a non-displaceable axis for the rotation of the upper part 16 and lower part 17 against each other.

FIG. 4 shows the knee joint orthosis 1 according to FIG. 1, it also showing how the splint 6 (and thus also the splint)

7) inserted in the orthosis and can be removed from it.

The lower part of the rail 6 is inserted into the pocket placed on the inelastic hose part 3. The openable pocket 24 is provided for the upper part of the rail 6, and the pocket 10 for the lower part. The pocket 24 has the opening 26 and the cover flap 25, which over the

Pocket 24 are placed in the direction of the elastic tube part 4 and can be attached to this by means of a Velcro fastener. So that the rail 6 is held in the pockets 24 and 10 and can not slide out of them. When the cover flap 25 is opened, the splint 6 can be removed from the two pockets 24 and 10, for example if this is necessary for cleaning the knee joint orthosis 1. The same applies to the rail 7 in the pocket 9.

Claims

claims

1. Orthosis made of flexible material for immobilizing the thumb base joint with a wrist band (2) encompassing the wrist and a tubular attachment (3) receiving the thumb, characterized in that the attachment (3) has a sleeve-shaped stiffener (4) with a contains the transverse recess (11) lying on the inside of the base of the thumb and has a cross slot (6) in the region of the base of the thumb on the outside of the thumb such that the cross slot (6) opens when the base of the thumb is flexed, the degree of opening being provided by a tab (8 ) is limited by the outer area of the approach (3)

Bridging the transverse slot (6), reaching to the wrist band (2) and being fixable thereon.

2. Orthosis according to claim 1, characterized in that the wrist band (2) has on its outside a pad made of fleece material of a Velcro fastener and the tab (8) on its inside with the hook material for optional fixing to the wrist band (2) is.

3. Orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wrist band (2) with the neck (3) and the tab (8) consist of essentially non-stretchable material.

4. Orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tab (8) consists of elastic material.

5. Orthosis according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the stiffener (4) extends into the wrist band (2) which is covered on its outside with the fleece material and on its inside with a textile material.

6. Orthosis according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wrist band (2) ends in a Velcro fastener (14).

7. Orthosis according to claim 6, characterized in that the wrist band (2) contains a belt (12) which penetrates this by means of a

Eyelet (13) on the wrist strap (2) can be optionally fixed.

CHANGED REQUIREMENTS

[Received at the International Office on March 13, 1998 (March 13, 1998); originally claims 1-7 through new claims

1 -4 replaced (1 page)]

1. Knee joint orthosis (1) with fastening means for the thigh and lower leg, which are connected to one another via at least one two-part rail (6, 7), which is opposite the knee joint in

Adaptation to its movement sequence set back, having an axis (18) having a swivel joint, characterized in that the axis (18) is mounted eccentrically in a rotary bearing (11) which connects the two rail parts (6, 7) in a rotationally movable manner and, by virtue of its rotation, the position the axis (18) continuously shifts, this shift being brought into its respectively adapted position by the knee joint movement.

2. Knee joint orthosis according to claim 1, characterized in that the pivot bearing is provided with locking means opposite the rail.

3. Knee joint orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rail (6, 7) is inserted with its two parts in each case into a pocket (24, 10) on the fastening means for the thigh and for the lower leg.

4. Knee joint orthosis according to claim 3, characterized in that one pocket (10) is continuously closed laterally and opened towards the swivel joint, while the other pocket (24) has an opening (26) running in its longitudinal direction for inserting and removing the Has rail which is covered with a cover flap (25) which can be closed by means of a Velcro fastener.